


Schooled in the Wasteland

by Vanaheimr



Category: Mad Max Series (Movies), Mad Max: Fury Road
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angharad is a pregnant highschooler, Australia, Furiosa drives a school bus, Gen, Joe is Angharads stepdad, as aussie as a vegemite sandwich
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-09
Updated: 2015-06-19
Packaged: 2018-04-03 15:13:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4105516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vanaheimr/pseuds/Vanaheimr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Who's that with Furiosa?” Cheedo asked, and the other four turned to watch the newcomer.<br/>“That's tha new kid,” whispered Dag.<br/>Five sets of eyes followed the boy who trailed behind their friend, he wore dusty denim, a ragged grey t-shirt and worn out workboots.</p><p>In a tight-knit community, being the new kid makes you an outsider, but Max is used to that, living with his grand dad who moves from town to town, looking for work, and occasionally disappearing for months at a time, as he goes... well, Max isn't quite sure where his granfather disapears to.</p><p>Meanwhile the whole town is guessing at who the father of Angharids baby is. Could it be one of her step-brothers? Is it one of the boys who works at her fathers garage?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. We all scream for ice cream

Dust swirled across the school yard. The power had been on and off all day. Off for the whole last class before the lunch bell had rung five minutes earlier, and students tumbled out of the stone, brick and transportable school rooms, too hot to run, they walked to sit on the dry grass under wilting trees, or on the benches in the hot, corrugated metal lunch shed, or under the verandahs of the school rooms that had them. One degree hotter, and they would all be sent home, not that it would be any cooler at home. 

Dag dropped heavily onto the wooden bench next to Capable, well, she dropped as heavily as her waif-like frame would allow. Her summer check dress was like a sack on her, giant black boots on her feet, because they didn't make school shoes in her size, and her hair in messy braids, threaded through with fraying ribbons, she was the ever-lovable Dag.  
“What's ya lunch?” She asked.  
Capable cracked open her green lunch box, “Vegemite n'cheese.” she pulled out the glad-wrapped sandwich to reveal, “And grapes.”  
Dags hand darted across, and plucked one from the bunch, “Yummo!”  
Angharad sighed, “Fritz n' sauce again. Had it fried for tea last night, had it for lunch yesterday. I'm sick of it. And I don't think the bump likes it either.” Her hand drifted across her swollen middle. She didn't talk about her obvious condition very often.  
Capable and Dag glanced at each other, and said, “wanna swap?” at the same time.  
“Lunch swap?” Asked Cheedo, as she sat cross-legged on the ground in front of them. “I've got ham and cheese.”  
“Chicken, lettuce and mayo,” offered Dag.  
“Thanks girls,” Angharad smiled, and took half of Capables sandwich, and half of Dags, in exchange for her own. Capable then gave the other half of hers to Cheedo, who handed her half of her ham and cheese.  
“Do you girls ever eat your own lunch?” asked Toast, as she took a bite of her Vegemite on toast. No one had ever seen her eat a regular bread sandwich, it was always toast. Cold, dry toast.  
“Gotta keep it interesting,” answered Dag, as she stole another grape from Capable.  
“Who's that with Furiosa?” Cheedo asked, and the other four turned to watch the newcomer.  
“That's tha new kid,” whispered Dag.  
Five sets of eyes followed the boy who trailed behind their friend, he wore dusty denim, a ragged grey t-shirt and worn out workboots.  
“Hes from up north,” added Toast.  
“What do you want?” Hissed Cheedo. The other girls attention swung back to her.  
She was glaring at Nux, who hovered with hunched shoulders near Angharad, but was staring at Capables thick red braid, like it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.  
“What...” he said, then muttered something that sounded like 'day', his eyes darted to Capables face, “Whatalovelyday,” came out in a rush. He grinned, eyes too bright.  
A small smile crept onto Capables face, but was quickly wiped away as Dag squinted at the skinny kid.  
“Sod off, Shhhhlanger.” she hissed.  
His face fell, and he stumbled backwards. Turning to run, he slammed straight into the new kid, and fell to the ground with a whimper.  
The new kid just grunted, and flinched at the impact, and stared at the boy laying at his feet. Nux scrambled to stand, shook his head like he was rearranging his last few brain cells, and scampered off.  
“Oh Dag! That wasn't very nice! You know he's got a pretty shit home life.” She snatched the apple out of Dags pink lunch box that sat between them on the bench, and ran after Nux.

Furiosa just shrugged.  
“New kid, these are the girls, Angharad, Dag, Toast, Cheedo,” She pointed at each one as she said their name, then pointed across the school yard, to the red head talking to the boy under the library verandah, “Capable.” She turned to him, “what's your name?”  
“Does it matter?” He mumbled, and slumped onto the bench, as far from the girls as he could get.  
“Miss Giddy said that I had to show him around.” Furiosa dropped to the ground beside Cheedo. “I'm seriously thinking of skipping class, and getting an ice-cream.”  
Angharad swallowed her last bite of sandwich, “I'd be up for that.”  
“The snack bar has a generator, which means they'll have power.” Said Toast.  
“And ac,” Dag added dreamily.  
“Right-o,” said Furiosa, and then rose to her feet, while the girls stuffed their lunch boxes back into their back-packs. “Fool!” she addressed the new kid, “comin' with?” She jerked her head in the direction of the school gate.  
He looked at her, looked at the gate, shrugged, and stood.  
Cheedo hung back as the others headed across the yard.  
“I'll get in trouble if I'm late to class.”  
Dag stopped, turned back and linked arms with her, “Nah, you won't, not on a day like this.”  
As they passed the Library verandah, Capable joined them, followed by Nux who was gnawing on the core of the apple. She took her schoolbag from Toast, and slung it over one shoulder.  
“Where are we going?”  
“To get ice cream,” replied Furiosa.


	2. Bubble O'Bill is for kids

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a Farmers Union iced coffee, or it's nuthin'
> 
> Also includes one gaytime, a splice, two paddlepops, a cornetto, one Weiss bar, and a suspect Bubble O'Bill.

The walk to the snack bar was hot, and the shade was limited. The bell on the door tinkled as they walked into the blissful cool. Red vinyl booths lined the window, red vinyl stools lined the counter, and between them square tables, with chrome chairs.

“My shout,” declared Furiosa, as they crowded around the ice cream freezer. After several minutes of serious pondering, the counter was lined with their selection. A banana paddlepop, a golden gaytime, a splice, a mango Weiss bar, a Bubble O'Bill and a cornetto.

“You boys getting anything?” Furiosa asked, not looking at either of them.

“Mmmh,” Was the response from the new kid, as he turned, and opened the drink fridge.

There was a whispered discussion between Capable and Nux, before the freezer was opened again, and she added a rainbow paddlepop to the row on the counter. The new kid uncertainly put a carton of iced coffee on the other end of the row.

Furiosa nodded and paid for the lot. They each took their selection, but the Bubble O'Bill remained.

“Whose is this?” Furiosa held up the treat like it offended her.

“Mine,” Toast snatched it out of her hand with a guilty look.

“I haven't had a Bubble O'Bill since I was seven!” announced Dag in a theatrical whisper.

“Shove over,” Grumbled Toast, squeezing into the booth next to her, and causing her to shuffle closer to Cheedo, and her banana paddlepop.

Furiosa grabbed a free chair from one of the other tables, and straddled it backwards, at the end of the booth, the new kid did the same, but didn't pull the chair up close to the booth, so that he was facing their circle, but not really apart of it.

“Mmmmmm,” Sighed Angharad as she savoured her ice cream. “Joe never lets us have nice ice cream at home. It's always the cheap stuff.”

Next to her, Capable pauses in sucking the pine-lime off the creamy centre of her splice, “You should come over to my place more often, mum won't allow the cheap stuff through the door, and we've got strawberries in the garden.”

Across from her, Dags eyes went wide, biscuit crumbs scattering everywhere from her gaytime, as she tried to take a bite and talk at the same time, causing Toast to roll her eyes.

“Oh, ah, thanks for the ice cream, Furiosa,” said Nux nervously, eyes darting to her face, and then away again, bouncing from target to target, never certain as to where he should look.

“Not a problem Nux,” she gave him a slight smile.

“Mmmh, Hmmm,” was all the new kid said.

Angharad stared at him, “Do you even know how to speak?”

He snorted, and made a noise that could have been a laugh.  
Dag opened her mouth to comment, but got elbowed by Toast, and so closed it again.

“So, girls, should we head to the beach tonight?” Furiosa asked, before taking another bite of her cornetto.

It was Thursday, but there would be no school tomorrow, as the teachers had a conference to attend. So a trip to the beach was within the realm of possibility, it would be close to two hours to get there, but there would be no need to rush back, since there was no school in the morning.

“Good idea! Joe won't like it, but he won't know until it's too late.” said Angharad, with a sly grin.

“Do you guys want to come too,” asked Capable, “Its not as though there is anything to do in town in weather like this.”

“Hmm,” the new kid said, followed by a grunt, that could have been a yes.

Nux's eyes darted about nervously, “uh, ok, sure. I mean, if its no trouble.”

Furiosa almost smiled, “No, Nux, no trouble at all. I'll drop you all off as usual, after school, and then I'll pick you all up again on the return trip, it should give you enough time to grab what you need, and get back to your gate.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I mention the setting is rural Australia? Yes, we have an ice cream called a golden gaytime (We used to also have one called a raspberry rough gaytime). It's hard to have a Gaytime on your own (that was the tagline in 1980's advertising).
> 
> Iced coffee, in Australia, is coffee flavoured milk, it typically comes in 600ml cartons, and FUIC (farmers union iced coffee) out-sells coca-cola. Some trivia for ya.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first foray into fanfiction of any sort, but I like to experiment with different fields of writing, and other sources of inspiration.


End file.
